Witkoff says US and Iran talked through mediators at the UN, not face to face

US special envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington held extended talks with an Iranian delegation on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, conducted through intermediaries rather than directly. In a post on X quoted by The Times of Israel, Witkoff said the mediators "shuttled between the two sides throughout the day" and that the round of discussions had been completed, adding that he hoped it would "prove constructive and promising" and that the mediators would continue their work.

The Israeli broadcaster N12, citing journalist Barak Ravid, carried the same statement in Hebrew, as did the Ynet news alerts channel, which summarised Witkoff as saying lengthy indirect contacts had taken place with Iran and that he hoped they would prove promising. The Times of Israel noted that Witkoff's description of the contacts as indirect differs from what President Donald Trump had suggested about the day's meetings.

Who Steve Witkoff is

Witkoff is a special envoy for President Trump, a role that places him outside the formal State Department chain and gives him direct authority from the White House to conduct negotiations. The Times of Israel photograph caption placed him seated alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles during Trump's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at UN headquarters on September 22, 2026.

What the Iranian account says

Iranian state television gave a different framing of the encounter. According to the Hebrew-language outlet News.co.il, citing Iran's state broadcaster, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Witkoff on the sidelines of the General Assembly at the American envoy's request. The same account said Tehran agreed to the meeting in order to convey its conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

The Telegram channel Abu Ali Express, which monitors Arabic and Persian language media, reported the Iranian broadcaster's version in similar terms, saying the meeting followed insistence by the American representative and that Iran's firm positions were spelled out to him during it.

The conditions attributed to Iran in both Hebrew reports of the state broadcaster's account were: immediate lifting of the naval blockade, immediate release of all frozen Iranian assets, and an end to the war on all fronts of what Tehran calls the "resistance", the term Iranian officials use for the network of allied armed groups across the region.

Why the Strait of Hormuz matters

The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow sea passage between Iran and Oman linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. It is one of the world's most important chokepoints for seaborne oil and gas, and the reports indicate it is currently closed or restricted, with Iran presenting terms for its reopening. Neither the Israeli reports nor the American statement set out the circumstances of that closure or who imposed the naval blockade Iran referred to.

Direct or indirect: an unresolved contradiction

The two versions of the day are not easily reconciled. Witkoff's own statement describes talks conducted through mediators who moved between the American and Iranian delegations, wording that implies the two sides were not in the same room. The Iranian state broadcaster's account, as relayed in Hebrew, describes a meeting between Araghchi and Witkoff. The Times of Israel additionally reported that Trump had suggested the contacts were direct, which places the president's characterisation closer to the Iranian one than to that of his own envoy.

Indirect or proximity talks, in which mediators carry messages between delegations housed separately, have been a recurring format in negotiations involving Washington and Tehran, whose governments have no formal diplomatic relations. The material does not name the mediators involved in this round.

The UN General Assembly setting

The annual General Assembly high-level week brings heads of state, foreign ministers and their delegations to UN headquarters in New York, and the corridors and side rooms around it routinely serve as venue for diplomacy that would otherwise require a dedicated summit. The reports place both the American and Iranian delegations there on the same day.

What the reports do not say

None of the reports identify which country or countries acted as mediators, where the talks were held, how long they lasted, or who was present on each side beyond Witkoff and, in the Iranian account, Araghchi. There is no American confirmation in this material of the Iranian claim that Washington requested the meeting, and no American response to the conditions Tehran is said to have presented on the Strait of Hormuz.

The Iranian conditions come from a single source, Iran's state broadcaster, relayed by two Hebrew-language outlets, and have not been confirmed by any party to the talks. Nor do the reports say when or whether a further round is scheduled, beyond Witkoff's statement that the mediators will continue. Trump's own remarks suggesting the talks were direct are referenced by The Times of Israel but not quoted in the material available here.